


The Tragic Comedy

by Wineanddreams



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Joker (2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:07:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22317577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wineanddreams/pseuds/Wineanddreams
Summary: Bruce comes back from abroad where he studied in University. He is to take over the Wayne empire as his father wishes for an early retirement. Years in the most elitist schools in the world showed him the ugliest side of the rich. It damaged him. He wishes he could break free if only for just a moment..Meanwhile Arthur is struggling in his own way. The polar opposite, he spent all his life in the worst part of Gotham. Despite that he tries to keep a happy face as he is abused time and time again. Something dark is stirring within him..What will happen when their worlds collide?
Relationships: Arthur Fleck/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 32
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok guys so I NEEDED a BrucexArthur fic but I didn’t want to do the whole underage thing (aint no way) so I needed to change up the story a little. So in this alternate universe Bruce is an adult but his parents are alive. I would like to explore the bird in a golden cage scenario. His parents send him away to boarding schools so he isn’t really that aware of Gotham’s real situation, especially in the poorer areas. Thomas Wayne wants his son to think that the city is picture perfect so that he admires him and wants to follow in his steps. But what happens when Bruce gets tired of that elite life and decides to go undercover into the seedier parts of town? Well he meets a certain comedian in one of the shady parts and his life will never be the same.. some parts are more from Arthur’s perspective and other from Bruce’s. We’ll start from Arthur in this prologue. Enjoy!!!

„I love my mother. I do. I love her. I really do.” Arthur thought to himself as he fought the urge to push her head under the water and drown her. He didn’t understand where those ugly urges stemmed from. They simply came when an opportunity presented itself. Just like now- when he was helping her bathe.  
„Is everything alright, Happy?”  
He comes back to reality in an instant „Yes mom, I was just thinking of how excited I am to see the Murray Franklin show tonight” He smiles. After all his mother always tells him to put on a happy face. He had to do it no matter what.  
„Oh they said he’s going to host the actor.. what was his name again?”  
„I think he’ll have several guests as always. We’ll just have to wait and see. I’m sure no matter who he invites he’s going to do exceptionally well”  
„Happy, will you help me get out of the tub?”  
„Of course, mom”

The light from the tv was the only thing illuminating the dark, cheap looking room. Penny Fleck stared at the commercials almost not blinking. If Thomas Wayne would just give her even a fraction of what she deserved, she could buy a new couch, a new kettle, a new fucking life..  
„HAPPY, IT’S STARTING!!”  
Arthur came running into the room, quickly sat down next to her and watched the bright screen with anticipation akin to a child waiting to unwrap Christmas presents.  
When Murray finally appeared, Arthur’s eyes glowed. He was just perfect. If only the host knew what his living conditions were, he would surely help them unlike a certain ex-boss of his mother. „Thomas Wayne is a good person” Penny always assured him of that. He was just surely too busy to recieve her letters. Even if he did he probably didn’t remember a woman who worked for him a long time ago. It was an impossible dream but one that his mother clinged to desperately. Whatever makes her happy.  
All of that didn’t matter at the moment. Arthur could clearly see his favorite tv personality from his seat in the audience. Murray’s charisma outshined even his most outspoken guests. No one could compare to him. Any boy would dream to have a father like that.  
After the show ended, Arthur was back at the dimmly lit room. Penny was already asleep so he tuck her in and went to work on his joke book.  
One day he was going to start a career as a comedian. He was going to have a show just like Murray and do stand up comedy. And Murray would surely notice him and congratulate him and hug him and tell him that he wished he had a son like him.  
Arthur looked down on the page in his joke book. The only thing written there was „You won’t make it either way so why don’t you just give up already?” He gave it a little smirk. He needed a little creativity boost to continue writing his jokes so he took out his mother’s pills from the cabinet and swallowed a bunch of them. After that he took a swing from a leftover vodka bottle.  
The only thing he needed was a chance to show his comedic talents to the world. Well, most successful people started from the bottom so Arthur had hope that he can crawl out of there and become the person he always wanted to be. Dream big and you’ll win big, or so people say. 

And that’s precisely what happened. All these years of living in the gutter were worth it, as he was shaking the hands of the greatest comedians while joining their ranks.  
„I heard you volunteer at the children’s hospital where you make shows for the little patients. Is that true?” A reporter asks.  
„Yes, at first it was where my job took me, because I was working as a clown.. nothing much changed, am I right?” Arthur flashes a charming, confident smile.  
The crowd errupts in laughter.  
„Anyway, I really love children and seeing them happy brings such joy to my heart. These kids are suffering and I’m really glad to give them even a moment to forget their pain. Everybody should volunteer and prove that the world is not as rotten as we think it is, that we are not just selfish and actually care for other human beings.” His voice grew more and more passionate as his speech went on.  
„Do you really still cling onto that hope? That people care?” a smiling reporter says.  
„Umm..” Arthur is a little caught of guard. „Well... y-yes.. I think there are people who-„  
„And when these kids stole the sign from you and beat you up in an alley? Did anybody care?”  
„I- wait.. that happened a long time ago, it doesn’t matter anymore” he let out a nervous chuckle. He could feel the unpleasant constriction of his vocal cords making it harder to breathe.  
„Do you think that anybody would help such a worthless nobody as you? Who would do that? A rich businessman whose only concern is where he’ll go for dinner or a mother who can’t even afford to dress her child, hm?”  
Arthur laughs, covering his mouth, choking.  
A bunch of camera flashes blind him while people are booing.  
„What is that freak laughing at!?” Exclaims somebody from the crowd.  
„N-no.. I..” He tries to explain himself but the laughter just keeps on coming.  
People start throwing things at him.  
„Get that weirdo off the stage!”  
„No wonder his father took off!”  
The crowd bursts into a hysterical laughter.  
„S-stop..”  
„Is he crying? What a wimp!”  
Murray shakes his head in dissapointment.  
„I thought you were better than that, son”

Arthur opens his eyes. He’s laying on the living room floor. The TV is on and Penny is watching it, seated on the couch. He’s shaking, still confused as to his surroundings he pinches himself a few times as if to make sure that it is reality.  
„Happy” his mother turns to him with furrowed brows „You know you have a job and you’re oversleeping. I couldn’t wake you up through the whole Sunday, you didn’t even react or anythin. You missed yesterday’s show.”  
She didn’t even question why he was „sleeping” or rather why he was unconcious on the ground for so long.. She was just casually watching TV after she couldn’t even wake him up.. shouldn’t she be worried even slightly..?  
„Sorry, mom.” Arthur smiles. „I’ll try to wake up tomorrow but if I don’t-„  
„Happy, you’ll be late!”  
He laughs „Ah, you’re right.” He stands up from the floor. Although his spine hurts from the uncomfortable sleeping position, he ignores the pain telling himself that he should be used to it by now. 

After getting ready, he walks out of the apartment building. He is greeted by a cold, gloomy morning. On his way to work he spots some people digging in the trash, some junkies, businessmen in designer suits hailing taxis, bleak looking people walking towards the subway.. It gets pretty busy on the streets in the mornings which doesn’t help with Arthur’s anxiety. The only good thing about all of this is that people are rushing to their jobs or wherever else they need to be and usually leave him alone. 

When he arrives, Randall and the others are already there.  
„Hi guys” he says as he puts on a smile which is a little too wide.  
„Hey pal” Randall is the only one who acknowledges him. „Whooaaa you look even worse than usual! Somethin the matter, boy?”  
Arthur opens his locker and starts taking out his things.  
„Oh no.. it’s nothing. I just didn’t sleep well, that’s all.”  
„Nooow you say that all the time. I don’t think you ever slept more than three hours a night, am I right? Least that’s what you look like” Randall smirks.  
„ I don’t even know if I truly fall asleep. I always live through these scenes and I don’t feel like I sleep at all because they disturb me and the people there make me feel depress-„  
„Ok pal, not that interested. Lets just get to work or ol’ Hoyt is gonna have a fit”  
Arthur can’t help but notice that his coworkers are giving him weird stares and whispering among themselves. Oh God did he say too much again? He chuckles nervously.  
„Ah, n-nevermind it’s all silly anyways” he smiles and starts putting on his clown costume.  
Today will be his first performance at Gotham’s Children’s Hospital. He liked children a lot and wanted to make them happy. These kids were suffering and he wanted to give them even a moment to forget their pain.. wait.. he heard that before already.. 

He headed towards the room where the bored receptionist told him to go. The hospital left a lot to be desired.. It was a very old building, obviously not renovated in quite a while. The temperature was so low that Arthur shivered; perhaps a way to cut the bills? The ward was clearly overcrowded with beds standing in the hallway.  
He was surprised at his lack of stress. He felt a hint of determination which was so unusual that he had to savor this emotional state which he was in. After a few moments he opened the door and was greeted by a room full of kids of around preschool to elementary school age.  
„Hello Mister Clown!” Exclaimed the children.  
„Why, hello there, little people!” Arthur put on a genuine smile.  
The performance went very well, he didn’t remember any which were as good as this one during his work as a clown. The kids were cheering him on and at the end he got a big applause. Even the nurses seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely despite the jokes being made for children, of course.  
He bowed in a goofy way.  
„Thank you for attending the show! See you next Thursday!” He gave the children a big smile and turned to leave but a little hand grabbed the sleave of his red suit. He looked in the direction from which the hand extended and saw a little girl who looked very sickly but was still joyful.  
„What is it, little lady?”  
„You can call me Chloe, mister Clown! Is your hair real?”  
It looked like a serious question which made Arthur chuckle a little as he had a green afro wig on his head.  
„Oh no, it’s a wig! Would you care to see for yourself, lady Chloe?” He lowered his head so the little girl could see his wig from a small distance.  
„Woahh I want green hair too but my mommy says I’m only allowed „normal colors” for my wig!”  
Arthur’s face drops but he regains his composure.  
„Let me tell you what, lady Chloe, I think your mamma wants the best for you but I’m sure that you can convince her someday, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!” He tries to cross his fingers in goofy combinations which make Chloe burst into laughter.  
„Thanks mister Clown! See ya later alligator!”  
„After while, crocodile!” He waves to the little girl and exits the room.  
The heavy reality sets in. It was the children’s oncology ward. Why didn’t he even ask beforehand? He hid his face in his palms and tried to resist the onslaught of painful laughter bubbling up. Not here, not in this situation.  
Arthur turns away and proceeds to press the elevator button like a maniac. Once the elevator arrives, and the doors close behind him he lets out the laughter which was building up inside him. After the attack subsides, he presses the button for the ground floor and tries to collect himself as best as he can before the elevator doors open once more. 

Once he is out of the hospital he forces himself to think about the performance. He felt like he was walking on air but at the same time there was a doubting voice in the back of his head. It never left him, even at times like these when he should be happy. This is probably a cruel joke again. These happened in the past. How pathetic that he was so close to feeling happy due to one mediocre performance. The kids are surely making fun of it now.  
Now that’s better, bring yourself down Arthur, what a good boy you are. That’s just how it’s meant to be.


	2. The Fateful Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter from Bruce’s perspective. A look into his inner torment and rebellious side. Him and Arthur meet in unexpected circumstances..

It’s quite a chilly, calm night. Bruce is having a rendez-vous with a beautiful model whom he met during a charity event his father hosted. She insisted on going for drinks together which he agreed to despite having enough of people for tonight.  
He had this weird pressure ever since that time in boarding school to keep up the image of a billionaire playboy. It was a norm in his circle of classmates. If you did not conform.. he shuddered slightly. Being away from home he had no one except friends there so it was only logical to adapt.  
Despite being in an environment where being a multimillionaire was a norm (well more like their parents being multimillionaires) people still had to prove their status at every turn. Girls had to have the newest designer clothes while boys.. well they had to have the best girl and as many of them as possible.  
He didn’t even realize when he entered this toxic loop. He wasn’t even really interested in romance. Women were so easy to read, it was no challenge to pursue them. A disarming smile here and there and that was all it took. They were all so similar to each other that it wasn’t an odd occurance for him to call his date by another name.  
Even if he did want to take women seriously then finding the right one among all of this fakeness (and it’s not just about the plastic or botox they had in their bodies) was an impossible task.  
The people he was „supposed to” be seen with were who he most hated. It was all just an endless race to the top. The same people who call themselves his friends were just waiting for a slip up from him.  
A bunch of hyenas, that’s who they all were. Craving failure of other people just to feel better about themselves.  
Not to mention the not-so-veiled jealousy.  
„Darling??” Asked the annoyed model. Apparently she was telling him about her new jewelry or something.  
„Yes? Sorry, I was just lost in thoughts.” He flashes his charming smile and of course it works like magic, the model’s face lightens up, she wraps her arms around him and pushes herself, especially her breasts, up on him.  
„That’s no problem, handsome! So.. I had a really great time you know..?” She gives him a seductive look. Any man would have probably been weak in the knees seeing that but Bruce was not impressed in the slightest.  
„Yes, it was quite an enjoyable evening, thank you.” He steps away from her, takes her hand and kisses it. „I’ll call you a cab-„  
„Why don’t you call us a cab, hm? I have a really great new design in my bedroom, I’d love for you to see it” she winks at him as if her innuendo wasn’t subtle enough. She drunkenly embraces him.  
„I think you should take a rest, you are really tired after all.” Ugh, here we go again.  
„Oh no, I’m not tired at all! You’re so sweet for being worried about me! I just want to reward you, you know?”  
„...I do insist you return home..” he hails a cab passing by as if sent from heaven above. „I will pay for the expenses so you don’t have to worry. Thank you again for your company”  
She frowns. Uh oh. An outburst incoming.  
„What the hell is wrong with you!? A GODDESS is offering you to stay the night with her and you just send her home!? You must not be right in the head!”  
„Please calm down.” Bruce pays the cab driver and mouths „get her out of here” as he hands him a more than enough tip.  
The cab driver gets out of his car and opens the door for the model.  
„JUST YOU WAIT I’M GOING TO TELL ALL MY FRIENDS WHAT AN IMPOTENT LITTLE SHIT YOU ARE!” She gets into the cab and slams the door behind her.  
Ok, the Gotham elite might be worse than the foreigners which Bruce thought wasn’t possible but here he is.  
The driver smiles and gets into the car. As the taxi leaves, Bruce sees the model in tears, showing him her middle finger. 

His facade is slowly crumbling. Lately he can’t even pretend as well as he used to before. He is suffocated by his elite lifestyle, wondering how it would be like to be an ordinary Gotham citizen.  
A sudden rush overcame him and then he knew exactly what to do.  
Back in the Wayne mansion he changed to the most ragged outfit he could find in his closet (which was a hard task to say the least). He ended up in a sweatshirt which had a fairly subtle designer logo on it and jeans.  
Did he really not have a shirt which was not designer? He couldn’t really believe it himself but even his plain white tshirts were from premium brands.  
He also put sunglasses on as an additional measure to not be recognized which made him look ridiculous as it was night but he wasn’t exactly going for a fresh off the runway look.

He walked out, careful not to alert anybody in the mansion of course, put his hood up and immersed himself in the night streets of Gotham.  
At first he stayed in the richer districts, in his comfort zone but slowly and shyly he made his way into the more run down part of the town.  
He was shocked by the conditions. Old buildings in dire need of renovations, so many drunk or homeless in the streets and the stench of it all. It was definitely shady, nothing like the Gotham which his parents allowed him to see through his youth or the Gotham they showed in TV or the press. When he grew up he didn’t even think to go into the depths of the city until now. Either way he spent most of his life living abroad so when he was visiting he only stayed at the mansion and the rich district.  
Gone were the gated residentials he was used to. They were replaced with run down buildings, some of them looked abandoned but were most likely squats of some sort by the looks of them.  
Of course he knew that the city wasn’t all candy and sunshine but not to this extent. He swore he could hear screams down dark alleys and from some apartments. Did the police not come here ever? He clenched his fists. How could he have been so blind to all of this? He should have questioned it all earlier.  
He knew that even more darkness was hidden underneath the surface of this run down part of town.  
His head begun to spin. He needed a drink. Now. 

After a while of walking he saw a bright red neon sign saying „The Red Owl”. There were stairs leading down with a door at the end of them.  
He hesitated. What if it’s not even a bar? It looks shady but then again everything here does.  
He sighed. It better not be some shitty strip club.  
He walked down the stairs and opened the door.  
The interior was as red as the neon sign. A few tables and a bar. What stood out, though, was a stage which was lit by harsh white light.  
Bruce headed straight to the bar, ordered some drinks. The bartender didn’t seem to be phased by him clearly trying to hide his identity. Didn’t even ask about his sunglasses, just served him the drinks quietly and accepted the money.  
It was probably the best bar for him to be in this situation as it was packed with people drunk or high out of their minds and people who he was 99% sure were in some gang.  
Bruce sat down in the corner downing his drinks, trying to figure out whether his little trip was a mistake after all.  
His thoughts were torn away from him when a man started to make an announcement on the stage through the microphone.  
„So um we got this guy, he’s going to do a stand up show. Round of applause” he sounded pretty unenthusiastic.  
Some claps could be heard from around the room but people were mostly uncaring and didn’t even look up at the stage.  
Yet Bruce did.  
A shy looking man entered the stage. He had shoulder length hair, a little bit on the wavy side. His eyes were shifting as if he was trying to scan the whole room in one second. He was obviously very underweight, wore clothes which were a bit loose on him. He took the mic with a shaky hand.  
„H-hello everyone..”  
No reaction. A nervous chuckle from the man on stage.  
„First of all I wanted to say.. I wanted to say..” he takes out a notebook from his pocket and flips through the pages. „Ah, you know.. my mother always used to say that-„ it’s as if words were caught in his throat. He took a few deep breaths. „My mother-„ he burst into laughter which was so sudden that it made Bruce jump in his seat. The man on the stage tried his best to stifle the laughter and continue but it was as if he couldn’t do it and was physically struggling with it. It was painful to watch. The audience were clearly starting to get annoyed.  
„Get the fuck off the stage!”  
A can was thrown at the performer which only resulted in him laughing so hard that it seemed that he could barely breathe. The crowd started booing and some people followed suit with the throwing.  
Bruce felt he needed to do something, he couldn’t just stand by and watch the torment that the man on the stage went through. His heart was physically hurting, he didn’t know why he felt such strong emotions towards the scene he was witnessing.  
„Hey! Stop that right the fuck now!” Bruce couldn’t take it anymore. Fuck. Now all the attention was on him. Even the man on the stage stopped laughing abruptly and was looking at him with wide eyes.  
„You got a problem?” Asked a large tattooed man. „Can’t you see we’re starting to finally get entertained by this weirdo? At least if he can’t even stutter out a joke he can embarass himself and make us laugh through that!”  
A roar of laughter.  
„He needs support, not humiliation. Have an ounce of compassion.”  
„What the fuck, you his bff or what??”  
„Dude they’re probably some fags!!”  
A scruffy looking man jumps out of his seat. „Fags!? I’ll gut them out alive!”  
Oh shit this is not going well.  
„I don’t know him. I just have basic human decency” he gives the group of guys a side eye.  
„Human what?? What was this word he used??”  
„I dunno man but he’s insulting us for sure. Lets beat his ass and his weak dull ass comedian friend!”  
The group started closing in on Bruce and on the man on the stage. Without thinking much, he pushed through them, grabbed the man from the stage by the hand and bolted out of the bar.  
From behind them he could hear men shouting.  
„GET THESE FUCKERS!” 

Bruce didn’t know how long he was running for but finally he stopped in some narrow, dimmly lit street. He caught his breath quickly, after all he was fit plus the adrenaline kicked in pretty hard. The skinnier man didn’t take the run that well though. He could hardly breathe.  
„Deep breaths.” Bruce said.  
After a while the other man steadied his breathing.  
„U-um... excuse me..?” The man looked everywhere but Bruce’s eyes, his cheeks were a little flushed.  
„Yes? Are you alright?”  
„Y-yes just... how long are you going to hold my hand, mister?” The man blushed even more.  
Bruce looked down and noticed he was still holding the man’s hand and let go of it immediately.  
„Oh God I’m sorry I just umm...” now it was Bruce’s turn to avoid the man’s gaze. „You know all the running just-„  
He stopped as the stranger embraced him.  
„Thank you” he said quietly in a shaky voice.  
Bruce froze, his heart started beating faster. The man let go off him quickly and mumbled an apology.  
„You shouldn’t have put yourself at risk, I just would’ve gotten some cans in the face, that’s all, nothing I’m not used to and you could’ve gotten hurt and I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault, I didn’t deserve your help-„  
The words started pouring out of his mouth in a lightning speed, Bruce could barely keep up.  
„Wait! Maybe.. maybe lets just start again, okay? What’s your name?”  
The man brightened up a little.  
„Arthur. I’m Arthur Fleck.” He stretches out a bony hand towards him.  
And he does it AFTER he embraced him like that!?  
„Bruce W-„ Oh wow now you fucked up, Brucie. „I’m uh.. I’m Bruce Wayne.”  
Arthur looks at him and then starts laughing.  
Phew, he didn’t take him seriously. „That’s a weak cover, I mean, why would Bruce Wayne out of all people be here? In the worst part of Gotham and at this hour? It doesn’t make sense. And you clearly want to hide your real self so better choose some other name for that”  
For some reason the last sentence Arthur said stuck in his head.  
„Well who knows. Everyone wants to escape from time to time..”  
„You don’t have to tell me..” Arthur laughs a little forcibly. „So what? You’re some gang boss? Is that why you have to hide your face like that?” He pokes his glasses delicately.  
Bruce was caught of guard yet again but decided to go along with it.  
„I’m not with a gang.. I’m a.. I just kind of patrol the streets.. seeing if anybody needs help..” Well this fake story is better than lying about being in a gang for all he knows Arthur could be affiliated with one. „Some people know my face and I prefer to keep a low profile”  
„So cool! Like a superhero!” Arthur’s eyes sparkled and he looked at Bruce with childlike admiration. He thought it was kind of cute. „Lord knows we need those in Gotham! Well, I certainly do-„ He looks up at the stars. „You know.. you gave me some hope. I.. I didn’t think I could take it anymore and today would be the day but.. I guess the world still wants me to be here for whatever reason” he smiled but Bruce could see veiled pain behind his eyes. The implication was clear and that hurt Bruce to the core. He didn’t understand why he cared so much. They were just strangers. „Ah, I guess I should go. Don’t want you to get into any more trouble because of me” he gives him an apologetic look. „W-well if you’ll ever need my help..” he takes out his notebook and a pen tears out a page and writes his adress on it. „Here’s where you can find me.” He holds out the paper with a trembling hand. Bruce stares at it in disbelief. Is this guy seriously giving out his adress to a complete stranger?  
„Are you sure I can have it?”  
„Well, yeah of course that’s the least I can do. You seem like a nice person. I can sense it in your voice. It’s so rare these days. No one is ever nice. Well, not to me anyway. But you are different.. I don’t know but I can feel it I really can. And umm..” he looks extremely stressed at this moment „we’re gonna be f-friends, right..?”  
„Sure, we can be friends” Bruce answers not knowing the consequences these words will have on his future. He takes the piece of paper from him. „Just don’t give your adress out to strangers like that, ok?”  
Arthur’s stress immediately disappears.  
„Now now don’t say such things or I’ll be scared you’ll break into my apartment and murder me” Arthur smiles. Is this a thing he should really be smiling about?  
„I promise I won’t. Wouldn’t want to give you anymore troubles for today.” Bruce smirks.  
„Why thank you, how generous of you.” He chuckles.  
„Do you live far from here?”  
Arthur shakes his head. „Just two blocks from here.. well two blocks and a huge staircase that is”  
„I’ll walk you there, ok?”  
„Are you sure? I don’t want to be more trouble to you than I already am I mean I don’t want you to get tired of me and toss me away because you find out how worthless I am too early-„  
„Hey, I’m offering it to you so you don’t have to feel guilty. Plus you’re not worthless.”  
Arthur just laughs in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we’ll be back with Arthur’s perspective and his thoughts on this mysterious saviour of his. Till next time! <3


	3. A Beautiful Joke

This is definitely not real. Whatever words they’re saying to each other seem distant. They were overshadowed by this one thing that the stranger said earlier.  
He said that him and Arthur can be friends.  
Friends. FRIENDS. F R I E N D S.  
Arthur’s mind was filled with that mysterious word. It tasted bittersweet because it reminded him of what he never truly had.  
Even people who he knew for a long time never really wanted to be friends.  
And this stranger wants to be friends right away? He’s much too kind. Arthur had imaginary friends in the past (which he didn’t realize were imaginary until a certain point in time) so it wouldn’t surprise him in the slightest if the tall, well-built man with black hair was one of them. Despite not being able to see his eyes, Arthur could tell that he must be popular with the ladies. Even his voice had a nice, low tone to it. Everything about him screamed masculine but in the most tasteful and elegant way.  
Maybe it really was just an idealized image of Bruce Wayne he made up because he really wanted to believe that such rich, perfect looking people could be so kind to him.  
What a pathetic fantasy. Even the most ordinary citizens didn’t pay attention to him. He was probably a walking piece of trash among them. It was not hard to formulate this conclusion based on how people looked at him.  
He was indeed nothing.  
„Do you do stand ups often?” The man broke the silence.  
„N-no.. as you could see.” He chuckled nervously.  
„I didn’t mean to offend you, I was just curious. Being on stage is pretty stressful so I admire you for making the effort. The so called audience wouldn’t even dare to do that”  
„I-.. thank you.. I want to be a comedian. I’m going to be one of the best ones in the world, you know? And I’m going to tour the world and meet Murray and wave to my mom from the TV..” he looks up at the starry sky with dreamy eyes.  
„Oh, I’ve met Murray, he’s not that great of a guy. A real egoist.”  
It’s as if the stranger said blasphemy. How could he say that? Murray was a saint! He was perfect! Why did that guy get to meet him and Arthur didn’t!? This same ugly feeling came to him-  
„Can I ask you something, Arthur?” The man walking beside him broke the silence.  
„Y-yeah, sure..” he was starting to be a little cautious with the stranger.  
„Is life here as bad as it looks..? I mean..” the man bit his lip. „Sorry, that was not very nice of me to say..”  
„Well, as my mom always says.. no matter the circumstances just put on a -„  
A scream could be heard in a distance which made both men startled.  
Arthur looked at the man’s face who turned towards the direction from which the scream came. After a while of silence he spoke:  
„I’m going to check it out”  
The stranger started walking away from him.  
„W-wait!” Arthur grabbed the sleave of his sweatshirt. „I know you want to help but.. people here are often armed.. do you have a weapon..?”  
The man shook his head. „But I can’t just leave that person like that, she sounded in dire need of help”  
Arthur didn’t want to let go of him. He didn’t want to loose this friend who he just acquired.  
„I’ll go with you”  
Hesitation could be seen in the stranger’s eyes but he just noded. Now even Arthur was starting to think that this guy was weird and that was a lot coming from him.

After a few blocks, right in the middle of the road, two guys were pushing a young woman around, shouting obscene things. Quite an ordinary sight around these parts of town.  
The man immediately stepped to action.  
„Let her go” he said in a stern voice.  
He really wasn’t scared at all..? What if this gets out of hand-  
„What? You wanna fuckin fight?” One of the thugs turned his attention to the man while the other grabbed the woman. She started kicking and trying to bite the guy holding her.  
„We got ourselves a feisty one, huh?” It was obvious that the woman had a real fighting spirit in her. Arthur thought of all the times he couldn’t stand up for himself, feeling a hint of that unpleasant burning in his chest again.  
„I said.. let her go.” The man repeated still calm, keeping eye contact with the troublemaker.  
„Oh boo hoo I’m so scared! Should I be fucking crying and running away? Do you think we’re in some shitty hero comic book?” Both of them laughed.  
It was pretty funny that the stranger most likely wouldn’t rescue her.  
Arthur stifled a laugh.  
The stranger sighed. „So we’re doing this the hard way.. alright.” His movements were so sudden that none of the people present expected that. He grabbed the thug and punched him square in the face so hard that he instantly knocked him out.  
The other guy loosened his grip from the woman who kicked him right where it hurts, sending him to the ground.  
The stranger walked up to him.  
„I suppose the young lady taught you a nice lesson about being nice to others or should I repeat something?”  
The thug looked at his friend lying on the ground ..and scurried away.  
„Geez, thanks. Fucking perverts.” The woman rolled her eyes and then smiled at them. „Who do I owe the rescue to?”  
„Bruce. You don’t have to thank me”  
He’s telling her the same name..? Arthur thought he was just joking around with him. Now he can’t shake off the feeling that it actually might be Bruce Wayne. He’s looking at him a little too intently.  
„How about you? What’s your name? You seem kinda familiar” she looked at him closely.  
Arthur was startled, he was focused on the strange sensation he felt.  
„Arthur..” he avoided her eyes.  
„Hmm, oh! Wait, are you Arthur Fleck by any chance?”  
He stared at her with wide eyes. Did somebody recognize him? What is going on during this strange night..?  
„Y-yes..” he said cautiously, expecting her to make fun of him. This can’t be going in a good direction.  
„I’m Sophie Dumond! We’re neighbours from the same floor! Sorry to ask you, Arthur, but could you walk to the apartment complex with me? Sure don’t want any more thugs tagging along.” She smiled brightly at him.  
Bruce (???) cleared his throat loudly. „That’s great, I was just walking him home so lets go together” he stepped slightly in between Sophie and Arthur. It was just the slightest step, a bizzare behavior.. perhaps a hint of jealousy..? No it couldn’t have been, what an idiotic thought! They just met and- oh, maybe he liked Sophie? She is a beautiful woman and he’s a beautiful man-  
They started to make their way to the apartment complex where the two of them lived.  
„So Bruce, why are you wearing sunglasses at night?” Sophie asked.  
„And why are you out so late?” Bruce asked.  
„Hmph, ok you won, everybody’s got their skeletons in the closet” she laughed. „Can I ask how you two met, though?” This time the question was aimed at Arthur.  
„Ah.. it was.. my comedy stand up..” his cheeks burned red when he thought of the failed show and.. the knight in shining armour.  
„You do comedy? How.. unexpected. I mean that’s amazing, I’m glad you have such a nice hobby” Sophie smiled at him, he could tell it was a genuine smile. It’s no surprise that people would find the disonance between his passion and well.. him. „How did it go?”  
Arthur’s eyes darted around, he had a lump in his throat, he couldn’t speak. Bruce will surely laugh at the awful show he put on. He wanted to tell him that he’ll do better next time and that he will become a comedian, he’s seen it in his dreams.  
„It was great, I had a lot of fun, especially the joke about a great escape with a stranger. A tiny bit more practice and the big stage awaits him.” Bruce smiled at Arthur.  
His heart was pounding so hard, he looked at Bruce in awe. Is this what friendship feels like? They just met and he believes in Arthur’s dreams. He didn’t make a sarcastic comment, he found humour in this weird situation they found themselves in.  
Arthur chuckled to himself. And spent the rest of the way home looking at the ground smiling while Sophie chatted on and Bruce walked beside him. 

Sophie went ahead to the building leaving Arthur and Bruce alone in front of the entrance.  
„Thank you” they said at the same time.  
„W-wait, what are you thanking me for? I didn’t do anything at all.. I’m the only one who should thank you” Arthur said, a bit flustered, his cheeks a hint of red.  
Bruce smiled a little.  
„No, you did so much more than you think. You made me realize that there is so much more to this city than I thought. That on this side of Gotham there are not only criminals but also people with a good heart, people like you.” he looked at the view of the streets. „Alfred was right, I need more training than I ever had before to protect the city which I was kept away from for so long.”  
Arthur’s eyes widened. Was he going crazy again or did he mean the butler of the Wayne mansion?  
„I-I don’t understand..” was all that he could say in response to that.  
„It’s hard for me to grasp too.. All I know is that my life is about to change and you were the spark which finally made me decide on that.”  
„You actually are.. Bruce Wayne..?”  
The man nods in response and takes off his sunglasses. And surely enough.. The billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne is standing right in front of Arthur.. in the worst part of town.. in front of the entrance to a cheap apartment complex....  
This is better than any comedy!  
Arthur starts laughing hysterically. Bruce stepped back a little with a slightly startled look on his face.  
„I finally went completely fucking nuts!” Arthur still laughs while making his way into the apartment complex.  
„Wait!” Bruce calls after him but the man closed the door behind him which requires a code to go through.  
Arthur laughs and laughs and laughs, his whole world spinning. He had a friend but the friend was Bruce fucking Wayne who spent so much time with a nobody like him and told him he wasn’t worthless and said that Arthur caused a change in his life. Who could’ve thought of such a hilarious fantasy!  
He slammed the door behind him, made his way to the kitchen where he collapsed on his knees and laughed while tears streamed down his cheeks.  
He just wished that this beautiful fantasy friend of his could be with him a little longer..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I have so many ideas I just can’t decide which to put first! x-x Hope you enjoyed!! Till next time when we’ll be back with Bruce’s perspective! :D


	4. Imagining Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it ended up being a mix of Bruce and Arthur’s perspectives :o I hope nobody minds!   
> Enjoy! :D

Bruce stood dumbstruck in front of the closed entrance to the crappy looking building. He certainly did not expect this reaction. Arthur’s laughter still echoed in his mind.   
He slowly put his sunglasses back on and as if on autopilot, started walking away from the door. For a while he couldn’t collect his thoughts.   
When he finally gets some clarity in his mind, he realizes how bizzare the whole interaction between them was. From Arthur’s behaviour on stage, through their talking to their abrupt parting. The murderous look Arthur gave him when he mentioned that Murray wasn’t as awesome as he portrayed himself to be on his show still gave him the chills..   
On the other hand, Bruce also acted weird, grabbing him off stage, being overprotective of a man he just met and finally telling him all of this personal stuff and revealing his identity. Oh and not to forget how Bruce’s eyes lingered on Arthur for a little longer than necessary..  
Oh God, did he seriously do that?!  
He gives himself a mental scolding for that. It’s not good to be so careless, especially not in these parts of town. Why in the hell did he do that?  
Arthur looked harmless and kind hearted but it could have been a facade for all he knew. Bruce usually kept his guard up.  
Well, nothing he could do about it now. They probably were never going to meet again anyway.. despite him being weirdly fascinated with this eccentric man.   
He forced himself to stop thinking about him. After all he came to a big revelation this night. 

He was always wondering why Alfred Pennyworth was so intent on getting him combat training wherever he was in the world. The butler made him promise not to tell his parents which seemed questionable but ever since he was a little boy, he loved and respected him very much so he kept his promise. Alfred always told him that the world needed heroes- people who could fight for those who themselves couldn’t fight back.  
Bruce remembered this statement when he was watching Arthur being mercilessly taunted while onstage.  
He could remember this need to protect from a young age when his classmates were bullying weaker students. He stood up for them and was cast away, so he did things he regrets to this day..  
He shuddered and started walking faster. He needed to get out of here. Preferably out of his head, so he could rest for a while without overanalyzing everything.

***

Arthur finally steadied his breathing. He just needed a rest. Tomorrow he would be back at work. He could put on his clown costume and feel like himself. The false images and memories of this night would fade into obsucirty and Bruce Wayne would revert back to being just a pretty face printed in the newspapers. A symbol of a world so different from his own that he seemed almost like an alien. 

He filled a glass with tap water and drank it all in big gulps. All this laughing certainly can dry his throat.   
He ended up having three full “laughter cycles”. He could head the especially grumpy neighbors shouting for him to shut up. But if they could only see what he was laughing at during the third “round” they would surely understand. During that, the bitterness of losing an imaginary friend subsided and was replaced by the image of the thug getting his face punched over and over again. He could see every detail, as if it was replaying in slow motion. How “Bruce’s” fist connected to the brute’s jaw and how his nose started bleeding and how he lay on the ground. It was just so.. funny. 

He froze. Did he really just laugh because of someone getting punched? He panicked. He had these ugly feelings sometimes but they were very subtle. He was a kind person, just like his mom raised him to be. And yet... there were these tiny little mischievous voices which whispered ever so slightly these ugly ugly thoughts filled with violence to him. At first it just resulted in a little chuckle but now everytime they did that he could barely keep himself from laughing. But violence isn’t funny... right..?  
Murray. Right, he has to go watch Murray Franklin. He will make everything alright. 

***

Bruce was laying in bed. Usually nights like these would end up in a hook up. Maybe thats why he had these weird thoughts about Arthur? He was just in “dating mode” tonight and he just happened to meet him hence the hand holding and prolonged staring and-  
He facepalmed himself.   
Old habits really do die hard.   
He should meet up with him in more ordinary circumstances, not after a date and everything will surely go away. Besides he could make sure that he’s okay.. after all he hinted at some disturbing things. Maybe he shouldn’t have left him alone, he clearly wasn’t stable and left in a very bad state.   
No.. he clearly didn’t want to see him anymore, him coming back would only stress him out more. Besides, he’s a stranger, Bruce didn’t know him well enough to just barge in there. Sophie mentioned something about him living with his mother so she probably calmed him down anyway.   
And with that thought, he drifted away to sleep.

***

Arthur just couldn’t concentrate on tonight’s show. He wondered why “Bruce” said that Murray was not nice. If Bruce was a fantasy of his than maybe he himself thought that for some reason?  
“Mom!” he called out. He knew something was missing. He was so loud and his mother never showed up. Well, she never really comforted him during his breakdowns but at least he would see her pass by him and look at him with a blank expression.   
He stood up and knocked on her door. No response. He entered her room and there she was, sleeping like an angel.   
It seems he took her sleeping pills a bit earlier than usual. They made her pass out and nothing could wake her up. It was as if she was temporarily dead. She must have been really tired if she took them before watching tonight’s episode. He tuck her in, kissed her forehead and left the room, returning to the sofa.   
After a while Murray introduced his next guest and Arthur thought he would get a heart attack.   
“Welcome to the show, Bruce!”  
Bruce Wayne himself was shown on the TV screen. The surrealism of it all made Arthur nauseous. He was really losing it because he saw the same sweatshirt and jeans he had on tonight.   
He abruptly turned the TV off.   
He needed take his mind off everything by writing in his little joke book- his only comfort. These pages were his sanctuary. He lost himself in writing so much that he didn’t realize when he crossed the line between reality and dreams.

He woke up the next day to a whistling kettle. It was his mother, making herself a cup of coffee. Once she saw Arthur stretching and getting up from the chair in which he slept, she stormed into the living room.  
“Why were you out so late? You didn’t cook me dinner, I was really hungry, you know? Do you want your mother to starve, Happy?” Penny moved a bit too close to Arthur, looking him right in the eyes.  
“I-“  
“AM I THAT BIG OF A BURDEN TO YOU!?” Penny’s sudden outburst caused him to jump away from her. “Oh I know! Thomas Wayne sent the money and you’ve been keeping it all away from me, right? You want to end me so you can keep all the money to yourself!” She was grabbing her hair so hard that it seemed that she could rip it out at any moment.  
“M-mom I promise I didn’t get any money..”   
The money he gets at his job, he spends it all on on her. He felt very hurt at his mother’s accusations. Not that he wasn’t used to that. His mother was calm most of the time but sometimes she would explode.   
Suddenly her tone of voice returned to her usual almost monotone one.  
“Oh, so he really didn’t send any response yet has he? Well, he is a generous man so I’m sure that he’ll do that as soon as he’ll be less busy and sees my letters.” She smiled at Arthur. “Thomas Wayne is a good person, you know?”  
“How about Bruce Wayne?” He said without thinking.  
Just when he thought that he was over his imaginary Bruce..  
His mother frowned.  
“He is the son of a whore that’s all he is. Him and his whore mother weren’t the ones who were supposed to be by Thomas’ side!”   
“B-but I heard that Martha Wayne was a good mother. Besides, who else would be there besides mister Wayne’s wife and child?”  
Silence.  
For a moment he couldn’t decipher his mother’s expression but when he did,   
“Oh but I do trust you more than any rumors of course, mother. Please don’t be mad, it’s not good for your health.”   
Her expression softened once again.  
“Please make me a coffee, Happy” she smiled and sat down in the sofa, turning on the TV.  
He went to the kitchen.   
How pathetic. Completely dominated by his mother just because of the fear of her anger? She could only scream at him, nothing more. But it was his mother, she’s not bad, she just has her worse moments, that’s all. He still loved her, he thought to himself while taking the pills his psychiatrist prescribed to him. 

Today was the day he was supposed to meet her. He just couldn’t wait to be back in this small stuffy room, that’s for sure. But maybe she could give him something to stop thinking about him?

He left the apartment and stepped into the elevator. When the doors started closing he heard a familiar voice.  
“Hey there! Hold the door, please!”  
He rushed to stop the door just in time and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the woman from yesterday. She was holding a little girl by the hand.   
“Oh, hello! What a coincidence we’re meeting again so soon, huh?” She smiled at him. He stepped back, a little confused. “This is my daughter Gigi. Say hi, honey”  
“Hi” the little girl waved to Arthur.  
“Hi” Arthur waved back but his mind was disassociated from this little closed elevator. So this woman.. she was actually real.   
“Umm.. excuse me.. Sophie, right..?” He asked shyly.  
“Hm?”  
They stepped out of the elevator and exited the building.  
“I know it will sound weird but.. was there a man with us yesterday? Tall, with sunglasses?” He tugged on his sleeve and laughed nervously.  
“Yeah, he was pretty weird, wasn’t he? Appeared out of nowhere to save me and the sunglasses.. not a look I’d expect during the night, that’s for sure.” She chuckled, remembering the strange sight. “I think he said his name was Bruce but I’m pretty sure it was a fake name. Maybe he’s some hero, who knows?” She wanted to turn right while he was about to turn left on the crossroad.   
“Well, looks like we’re parting ways. See you around, Arthur!” and soon after she disappeared amond Gotham citizens rushing God knows where.

“Is anything better, Arthur?” Asked the psychiatrist while looking through some papers. She didn’t even seem bothered by his constant, uncontrollable giggling. Arthur always had a sense that she wasn’t paying attention to him. Just like everybody else. “Any negative thoughts? Self harm or suicidal urges?”  
It always starts with the same questions and he always answers the same.  
“Nothing’s better. These thoughts are always present, they never leave.”  
“Mhm” the psychiatrist writes something in her papers. “You shouldn’t think that”  
“I know”  
Silence.   
“So nothing good happened to you lately?”  
“I met Bruce Wayne” he spurted out and immediately bit his tongue.   
Silence. The psychiatrist scribbles something once again.  
“I understand. I’m going to increase your dosage.”  
“N-no but you don’t understand, I really met him!” his eyes sparkled. “He was very nice to me and.. and even said that he wants to be my friend!”   
“I’m sorry to break it to you Arthur but you certainly did not meet Bruce Wayne. Your condition sometimes causes delusions to occur.”  
“Why do you think it’s a delusion? I really met him, I really did! And I finally have a friend!”  
“Bruce Wayne would not meet with someone like y-“ the psychiatrist covered her mouth.   
“Someone.. like me..? What does “someone like me” mean..? Pathetic? Lowlife?” He started laughing “Poor? Idiotic? Worthless?” Despite saying bad things about himself, he wasn’t sad. He was experiencing that ugly feeling again. He was clutching his fists.  
“ARTHUR!”  
He snapped out of his trance.  
“Please sit back down, I’ve already apologized numerous times.” She did? He couldn’t hear that because the ugly feeling was all that he could experience. “I think the increased dosage will do you good.”   
He sat back down slowly.   
“I-I’m sorry I don’t know what got into me.” He said in a quiet voice. 

When he walked out of the psychiatrist’s, he felt much worse then when he came in. It was always like that. Most of his dangerous behaviours happened during the day of the appointment or the day after.   
Thus, he decided to head to the Wayne’s mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to incorporate a little bit more themes from the Joker movie (of course modified to suit Bruce’s age change) so there will be a lot more of them in the next chapter together with developing the relationship of course ;D   
> Till next time!


	5. A Flutter of Bat Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m in the middle of exams, hence the shorter chapter! I hope you enjoy it either way!

“This is a serious decision, you do understand that, Sir?”   
Alfred Pennyworth was caught off guard with the sudden talk.  
“Of course. It’s been.. building up inside of me. It’s not a decision I’m making on a whim. Besides, I’d like to discuss a few things with my father first”  
The butler’s eyes widened. “Sir, I don’t think-“  
“Don’t worry, as promised I won’t mention any details. I want to have a serious talk with him about Gotham.”  
“You’ve seen the state of the city, am I correct, Sir?”  
Memories from last night flash infront of his eyes.  
“I.. I just never thought the state of things were this bad.”  
He was restless, looking through so much information on this city and yet.. nothing of this sort was mentioned in any statistics or articles..   
Just a void, as if that part of Gotham didn’t exist. The blanks could only be filled by one person. Bruce couldn’t imagine anybody knowing the city better than the governor- his father. 

He sometimes joked that he would have to book an appointment with his own father to fit in his tight schedule.   
It was scary how close to the truth that was.   
Humor tends to come from the most painful feelings, doesn’t it?

For some reason, he thought of a smiling Arthur.

„Master Bruce, I do hope you’re still considering taking on the bat persona as I proposed.”  
Bruce nodded in response and he could swear he saw Alfred being slightly relieved for some reason. 

He was still in elementary school when Alfred posed a peculiar inquiry to him.   
„Master Bruce, how would you characterise a bat?”  
The little black haired boy looked at him and couldn’t hide his surprise.  
„I understand your confusion, young master, yet I must tell you, it is an important matter which you will come to understand once you’re older”   
Little Bruce thought for a while.  
„Mysterious..?”  
Alfred smiled and knelt down to be on level with Bruce „Indeed.. they lay hidden and only fly out at night in order to hunt. Nothing stays unnoticed by them, even in the darkness.. Swift and effective at catching their prey..” Alfred suddenly shakes his head. „I apologize, master Bruce, I am getting way ahead of myself. I’ll just say one thing.. I have faith in you, young master. I know you will achieve great things in the future. Dare I say, greater than your father.”  
The boy’s eyes widened. His father was the epitome of success to him. Alfred telling him that he will surpass that was as abstract as any fairytale.

In presence, it’s as if a sense of duty towards Gotham has awakened. A wave of guilt washed over him. He was gullible, believing that all of the city must have been picture perfect like his little golden cage from which he wasn’t allowed to- or maybe he himself didn’t want to leave..? He wanted to protect people like Arthur from harm..

Right.. Arthur!   
„We’ll come back to this conversation later, Alfred. I need to leave for a while.”   
He headed towards the exit, his mind still filled with all the changes he was about to incorporate in his life and how he wanted the conversation with his father to go.  
***  
Arthur was passing mansion after mansion. Taking in every detail- the perfectly cut grass, the pristine driveways, picture perfect scenery. It looked so ideal that he thought that maybe these were dollhouses. He almost expected to see human sized dolls walking around. A thought, which made him chuckle.  
It wasn’t that far from the truth, the people in magazines, the Gotham elite looked like a bunch of Barbies and Kens. They could surely be models or famous actors (which of course some of them were).   
One of the reasons why he thought that the Bruce he met wasn’t real was because he looked so well with moonlight illuminating him in this silvery haze. He truly looked..  
Arthur suddenly felt a slight heat on his cheeks and tried to concentrate on the road he was going along.  
After some time of wandering around the golden district, he finally saw it from afar. The largest mansion of them all- the Wayne mansion.   
He suddenly felt intimidated. Why would he come all the way here? What was he going to say? Maybe he should-  
An unexpected noise made him panic and do a dive into the bushes surrounding the gate.   
He barely stopped himself from letting out a pained scream as he felt something cutting into his hand. He was all on fours and immediately moved his hand away. Once the pain subsided a little he looked at the thing he cut himself on. It looked like a sillhouette of a.. bat..? Why were the edges so goddamn sharp and why was it laying in the bushes infront of the Wayne mansion?

Just when he calmed himself down he was pulled out of the bushes by a firm grip which almost gave him a heart attack.  
He was met with a blue eyed gaze of the man he was looking for.   
Bruce’s eyes widened slightly but he did not say a word. A serious expression on his face.  
„Arthur..” the black haired man broke the silence. „What the hell are you doing in the bushes?”   
Arthur started laughing but couldn’t determine whether from relief or strained nerves. Bruce remembered him! But now he had to come up with an excuse as to why he was hiding in the bushes right outside of his house.  
„Umm.. surprise..?”   
Bruce let him go from his grip. He was so perplexed that he didn’t know what to say.  
„Well.. this is awkward, isn’t it?” Arthur said, unnatural laughter following, his eyes slightly tearing up, avoiding the blue gaze as best as he could.  
„I-I’m not a stalker, I promise! It’s really a weird situation, I just got scared and jumped into the bushes, you know.. that happens sometimes..?” He wanted to dig himself a grave and jump straight into it.   
When he saw the other man raise his brow in response his mind completely broke down.  
„You know we parted in weird circumstances so I came to fulfill my duty as a comedian and make you smile through making the situation even more bizarre. It was all just too serious how things went yesterday. We all just need more smiles and less seriousness” He reached his hands and put them up to Bruce’s face, pinching his cheeks to create a smile. He chuckled at how much more alien the billionaire looked.  
Perhaps out of surprise Bruce didn’t push him away. They stood in silence, Arthur not letting go, thinking that his social awkwardness couldn’t get much worse than that and praying that it was all a weird fever dream.  
„..My cheeks hurt..”  
„What?” Arthur didn’t quite catch what the other man mumbled.  
„My cheeks hurt” Bruce said louder and Arthur lit up as he saw a hint of a genuine smile on his face.  
„Smile the pain away, that’s the only way!” He jumped back and felt relief wash over him, smiling back at Bruce.  
„You’re a curious person, aren’t you?”   
„If you mean weird, you can just say that, I hear it all the time” Arthur played with his sleave, looking everywhere but at Bruce.  
„I wanted to visit you, so you came at the perfect time”   
Arthur’s eyes widened „W-what.. Ah, so you didn’t throw away the paper I gave you..?”  
Bruce took out the crumbled piece of paper he got from him and Arthur’s heart skipped a beat.  
„And she wouldn’t believe you existed! Joke’s on her!” He twirled around.   
The black haired man stiffled his laughter. Arthur’s childlike joy looked.. a bit adorable?  
„Hey, how about we take a little walk? I don’t really want to talk infront of my house”  
A walk together with a friend.. Arthur pinched himself a few times before nodding. He had to make sure it was happening. They started walking among the gated residentials.  
„Bruce..?”  
„Hm?”  
„I’m sorry for the way I acted yesterday.. it was..”   
His mind was suddenly racing, wondering whether he should tell him about his condition.  
„Can you promise me that we’ll stay friends even when I tell you..?”   
„If you’re not any murderer than you’re cool in my book”  
Arthur wondered whether the ugly urges counted but decided against asking about it.   
„Besides, everyone’s got their secrets, you can share them whenever you’re comfortable”  
The frail man noded and put his hand in his pocket to feel the bat silhoutte he took before he was pulled out of the bushes, not caring about cutting himself on it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Til next time! Kisses! :*


	6. The Golden District

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back after quite a long break due to exams and well.. the events going on now. I have a short, calmer chapter and I hope to be back to updating regularly because the ideas in my head are plentiful and twisted! But anyway, I hope you are all safe and healthy! Stay strong!

Why the hell Bruce didn’t react like any sane person would and call the police after witnessing the stalkerish behavior? Well, that was a mystery for him too. The bizzare fascination just kept on growing with every sentence spoken by the skinny man.  
„You can tell me, Arthur. I won’t look at you any different.”  
The other man looked at him as if he just heard the most outlandish statement ever. After a minute of them walking in silence Arthur blurted out:  
„Can I touch you?”  
Bruce stopped walking „W-what..?” Just when he was starting to think that the day couldn’t get any more weird..  
„I-I mean-!” Arthur fixed his gaze on the ground so hard that he could stare holes through it. Some nervous ticks of his surfaced as he giggled. „I just can’t believe you would say something weird like that so I wanted to check if you were really real”  
So Bruce was the one being weird!?  
„Right, you said something about her not believing you? A girlfriend of yours?”  
„Oh no no nonono” The face of the man flushed immediately. „C-common, I don’t have a girlfriend! It was just my doctor, no one special or anything like that!”  
He looked like a teenager whose mom asked him whether he was dating someone.  
„I’m not some imaginary fairy. I’m pretty real.”  
„Oh, what a nice rhyme!” Arthur was delighted but his demeanor changed quickly „It’s easy for you to say.. To me.. to any other ordinary person you’re the top of the world. Or more accurately, you’re an alien.” Arthur gazed upon the luxurious houses. His eyes were out of focus, it seemed as though he was in another world.  
Just then, a thought came to Bruce’s mind.  
„You’re right, I am an alien. I didn’t understand what I saw yesterday in the slightest. I don’t know what it’s like to live in an apartment complex and experience life as you do. But.. I want to learn because by learning that I would know how to help people better. Help you.”  
Arthur looked straight into his eyes with a look so hopeful that Bruce’s heart tightened.  
„You really.. want to help.. me?”  
„Well.. yeah among others-„  
„We’re really going to be the bestest friends, aren’t we?” He smiled the brightest smile and Bruce swore his heart actually melted.  
Shit, he was too damn captivating.  
„I’ve never actually been in this district before. I mean, it’s obvious, right? It’s just like you being in my district, it’s.. out of place.”  
Suddenly Bruce spotted a familiar figure strolling towards them.  
„Shit.”  
***  
Arthur looked at him, confusion painted on his face.  
„Oh Brucie! What a wonderful surprise!” The woman exclaimed and jumped on him.  
Arthur moved away.  
Was it one of Bruce’s lovers? He was known as the billionaire playboy after all. The black haired man didn’t look pleased at all, though. Arthur shared that feeling for whatever reason.  
„Uh.. hi Amber..?”  
„Oh, it’s Tiffany, silly you!” She hit him gently and gave him a playful smile. „I was just on an evening jog, I was actually thinking about our unpleasant end to the night and I wanted to apologize for freaking out like that, you know I didn’t mean it, right Brucie?” She tried to make a sad puppy face which Arthur found disturbing.  
„Alright, thank you for your apology and I’m sorry for mixing up your name”  
„You know, if you’d ever want to have another date with a more pleasant ending..” she gave Bruce a suggestive smile.  
It hit Arthur that she didn’t acknowledge his presence. Well, ordinary citizens treated him like air, why should he expect a rich lady to treat him any better.. maybe the fact that Bruce talked to him made him full of himself.. He just didn’t like how cutesy she thought she was and how forward she was with Bruce. He was starting to feel so uncomfortable.. he didn’t even realize when he clenched his fists. He had to get out of here.  
Just as he was turning to leave  
„Listen, lets talk on the next event, I’m showing my friend around, I don’t want to keep him waiting”  
„What friend?” The Tiffany girl asked and her eyes landed on Arthur. She looked at him with her eyebrow raised but then she clasped her hands together and smiled widely „Oh Brucie, it’s some charity thing, isn’t it? How nice of you!”  
Arthur stared at the girl, no emotion on his face, hardly any emotion in him.  
***  
„Of course not! What are you even saying!?” Bruce immediately refuted her claim with disbelief. Did he really go on a date with such a dumb girl?  
„Oh, sorry! Is it some new trend to look like a poor person? It actually doesn’t look so bad!”  
„We have to go now-„  
„Is he a foreigner? Why isn’t he saying anything?”  
Bruce glanced at Arthur who had a bit of a menacing look on his face. It really was time to get out of here.  
„Ah! I should be jogging and burning calories right now! Talk to you later, bye!”  
And as quickly as she appeared, she vanished.  
Bruce turned to Arthur. It was hard to read what was going through his head.  
„I don’t even know what that was but I’m sorry..”  
„Do you always forget your lovers’ names?”  
Bruce was caught off guard with his question and how serious Arthur was.  
„It wasn’t really my lover.. we just met once and...” wait.. why is he explaining himself to him!? „You know what, just nevermind. How about we continue our tour?”  
Arthur nodded enthusiastically, coming back to his previous state. It was worrying how quickly his moods seem to change.  
They were walking around until a pretty late hour. Arthur was asking lots of questions, his curiosity seemed insatiable. It was adorable how every little thing fascinated him and Bruce wasn’t annoyed with the questions.  
Bruce was in the middle of explaining how chauffers work to Arthur when..

***  
They came from such polar environments and yet they were talking so freely. They felt comfortable in each other’s presence. The fateful meeting, the bat blade, every word spoken between them could prevent or fuel the tragic comedy in the making.  
***

Arthur’s head started to hurt.  
„Ah! What time is it? I need to make dinner for my mom!” He looked panicked  
Bruce was a little disappointed as he was enjoying his company.  
„Maybe you can just buy take out for her? I can give you the money, if you’d like”  
Arthur looked flustered, he shook his head. „No, thank you, you know, I have work tomorrow. It’s a pretty big deal!”  
„Alright, don’t worry about it. Are you going to be alright on your own? Should I call you a cab?”  
„Ah, no! I don’t want to give you any trouble! Thank you for showing me around!”  
Arthur turned around and walked away, disappearing as quickly as he did yesterday.  
Bruce cursed himself for forgetting to ask him about the important thing he was going to say. He shook his head, maybe it was best not to pressure him if he had a tendency to run away so suddenly?  
***  
Arthur was in a daze, shivering. Why did he had this sudden dread come over him in the middle of an ordinary conversation? And the bat.. why was it discarded right outside their mansion? It was just too specific. He didn’t want to ask Bruce, perhaps some secrets were better left undisturbed? 

Or maybe not.


End file.
